Some parents of kids who have medical issues decide that they’re going to become public advocates for their kids. Many will use social media and create a platform for increased awareness that way. Parents who already have a platform will often fold in their advocacy. One single dad is doing just that: Using his social platforms for good.
The dad has a daughter with a rare medical condition. And while his platform is something completely different, he’s decided to use what already exists to shed light on what his family is dealing with.
The dad is letting his followers in on his real life.
Single dad Tyler Kane, a fitness influencer on TikTok who uses the handle @reallifehealthandfitness, shared a video of his nearly 3-year-old daughter Nova on his account. In the video, we get a glimpse of some daddy/daughter time.
“Possibly the smallest nearly 3 year old in the world??” he wrote on the video. “Putting on her eczema cream, fixing those curls, and lots of cuddles.” The video shows him rubbing the cream on Nova’s face, fixing her hair, and giving her lots of hugs and kisses. When Nova stands on the counter, you can see how small she is.
@reallifehealthandfitness My little best friend 🥹 so tiny so beautiful ❤️🩹 I know this is my business page but we are all about family and this is my life I want you guys to see who your working with and that this dad life isn’t just a joke to me 🙏🏾 34, 4 kids at the weekends and I have my 13 year old lad full time🥵 it’s fkn hardddd being a single parent let alone trying to stay in shape and healthy too that’s why I post everything I do trying to show you all you can do it even while being so busy and stressed you just need to know how ❤️🩹 #hypopituitarism #tinybaby #stuartlittle #dadanddaughter #love #family #dadlife #nicubaby #nicuwarrior #prem #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – RealLifeHealthandFitness
Kane is radically honest in his caption.
“My little best friend 🥹 so tiny so beautiful ❤️🩹,” he wrote. “I know this is my business page but we are all about family and this is my life I want you guys to see who your working with and that this dad life isn’t just a joke to me,” the 34-year-old dad of four wrote.
He includes hashtags like #tinybaby #nicuwarrior #nicubaby and #prem, indicating that his daughter spent time in the NICU after she was born.
His daughter was born with multiple rare conditions.
In another video, Kane explains that Nova was born with “a few” rare medical conditions. While she is almost 3, she can still fit in clothes made for 6-month-olds. Her tiny stature is due to hypopituitarism, a rare pituitary condition that inhibits her ability to grow normally.
“I get stopped EVERYWHERE because people just can’t believe how tiny she really is and so capable. My little miracle baby,” he says in the video’s caption.
The single dad opened up about his daughter’s condition recently.
Kane spoke with Newsweek about Nova and the videos he shares of her on TikTok. “The video doesn’t do justice how small she is; she is half the size of other kids her age,” he told the outlet.
He explained that Nova’s pituitary gland is underdeveloped, making it smaller than normal. This means, the toddler isn’t getting enough growth hormones. “Everyone is affected differently, and some people have more or less growth hormone production than others,” he shared.
“Mentally, Nova is 2, but physically, she’s 6 months old. She wants to do all the things the big kids do, but she’s too small and can’t keep up or will get hurt so can’t be involved,” he said.
@reallifehealthandfitness You all see Nova on my cooking vids but most of you don’t know she’s actually nearly 3 years old 🤣 she’s just tiny 🥹❤️🩹 She has a rare condition, well a few but the one that stops her growing is #hypopituitarism we have to inject Nova with growth hormone every day because her body doesn’t produce its own/or enough 🙏🏾 I get stopped EVERYWHERE because people just can’t believe how tiny she really is and so capable. My little miracle baby ✨ #stuartlittle #minime #mybaby #family #fyp #foryouuu #beautiful #dadlife ♬ Toy Story: You've Got A Friend In Me – Geek Music
He wants to shed light on parents of kids with disabilities.
Kane pointed out that parents of kids with rare medical conditions don’t always have the easiest time learning about what they’re facing. “There’s not much information about at all in terms of what’s publicly available to everyday people, even on TikTok and other social platforms,” he said.
He said there is one other internet famous person with his daughter’s condition, but they’re not really similar. The dad said that he and Nova’s mom were told that they would have to give their daughter growth hormone injections. He said it’s “not a nice experience at all.”
However, the family is grateful for their “miracle baby.” Even though it can be really hard on everyone involved. “Parent guilt is real. The biggest struggle we face personally is that no one tells you you’re doing OK, and it’s hard enough with a normal baby, let alone disabilities,” he admitted.
“We all have days where it’s hard and upsetting, and we just wanted a normal life for our baby, and then there are the days we can see exactly why we were given such a special kind of love.”
